1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electron beam exposure system having a plurality of electron beam exposure apparatuses and a method of manufacturing devices using the exposure system.
2. Description of the Related Art
In electron beam exposure apparatuses, which deflect electron beams and expose patterns onto objects to be exposed, there has been a tendency for the amount of data necessary to control the electron beams to increase significantly as semiconductor element patterns to be exposed onto objects to be exposed get finer. Furthermore, since semiconductor elements, which are made into finer patterns, are made with increased multilayering, the number of times different patterns are exposed tends to increase.
However, the amount of control data corresponding to patterns to be exposed, which can be stored in an electron beam exposure apparatus, is limited. For this reason, each time a pattern to be exposed is changed, the electron beam exposure apparatus needs to perform an operation for transferring the pattern data for the patterns to be exposed and for converting the pattern data into control data. Therefore, in semiconductor manufacturing, this results in a problem of decreasing productivity, which occurs to a greater extent.
To solve the above-described problems, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electron beam exposure system, comprising: a plurality of electron beam exposure apparatuses, which each deflects an electron beam on the basis of control data and exposes a pattern onto an object to be exposed; and data control means for sending, on the basis of pattern information related to a pattern to be exposed which is sent out from one of the plurality of electron beam exposure apparatuses, control data, corresponding to the pattern to be exposed, to one of the plurality of electron beam exposure apparatuses, which sent the pattern information to the data control means.
Preferably, each of the electron beam exposure apparatuses includes detection means for detecting, in advance, pattern information related to a pattern to be exposed onto the object to be exposed, and control means for (i) comparing, with the detected pattern information, pattern information related to a pattern corresponding to control data held in the one of the plurality of electron beam exposure apparatuses, and (ii) sending the detected pattern information to the data control means when the detected pattern information does not match the held pattern information.
Preferably, the data control means includes storing means for storing a plurality of control data corresponding to mutually different patterns.
Preferably, the data control means generates, from pattern data, control data for the plurality of electron beam exposure apparatuses, which data corresponds to the pattern.
Preferably, the control data includes data for controlling a deflection position of an electron beam and data for controlling the length of time the electron beam is irradiated at the deflection position.
Preferably, the data control means is contained in a space having a lower degree of cleanness than a space in which the plurality of electron beam apparatuses are contained.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing devices, comprising: providing a plurality of electron beam exposure apparatuses, which each deflects an electron beam on the basis of control data and exposes a circuit pattern onto a wafer; and providing data control means, which sends, on the basis of pattern information related to a circuit pattern to be exposed which is sent out from one of the plurality of electron beam exposure apparatuses, control data, corresponding to the pattern to be exposed, to the one of the plurality of the electron beam exposure apparatuses, which sent the pattern information to the data control means.
Preferably, the method of manufacturing devices further comprises detecting, in advance, using each of the electron beam exposure apparatuses, pattern information related to a circuit pattern to be exposed onto the wafer, then comparing, with the detected pattern information, pattern information for a circuit pattern corresponding to control data held in the one of the plurality of electron beam exposure apparatuses, and sending the detected pattern information to the data control means when the detected pattern information does not match the held pattern information.
Preferably, the method of manufacturing devices further comprises storing, in the data control means, a plurality of control data corresponding to mutually different circuit patterns.
Preferably, the method of manufacturing devices further comprises generating, by the data control means, control data for each of the plurality of electron beam exposure apparatuses, on the basis of data related to a circuit pattern, which control data corresponds to the circuit pattern.
Preferably, in the method of manufacturing devices, the control data includes data for controlling a deflection position of an electron beam and data for controlling a length of time that the electron beam irradiates the deflection position.
Preferably, the method of manufacturing devices further comprises containing the data control means in a space having a lower degree of cleanness than a space in which the plurality of electron beam apparatuses are contained.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electron beam exposure apparatus which deflects an electron beam on the basis of control data corresponding to a pattern to be exposed and exposes the pattern onto an object to be exposed, the apparatus comprising: means for storing a plurality of control data corresponding to different patterns; detection means for detecting, in advance, pattern information related to a pattern to be exposed onto the object to be exposed; and control means for selecting control data corresponding to the detected pattern information from the storing means and exposing the object to be exposed on the basis of the selected control data.
Preferably, the control data includes data for controlling a deflection position of an electron beam and data for controlling the length of time the electron beam is irradiated at the deflection position.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing devices by using an electron beam exposure apparatus which deflects an electron beam on the basis of control data corresponding to a circuit pattern to be exposed and which exposes the circuit pattern onto a wafer, the method comprising: storing a plurality of control data corresponding to different circuit patterns; detecting, in advance, pattern information related to a circuit pattern to be exposed onto the wafer; and selecting control data corresponding to the detected pattern information from the plurality of control data stored in the storing step and exposing the wafer on the basis of the selected control data.
Preferably, the control data includes data for controlling a deflection position of an electron beam and data for controlling the length of time the electron beam is irradiated at the deflection position.
The above and further objects, aspects and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.